“The Voice: Season Six” Top 12 performed live for the first time! (Photo property of NBC)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
This is it!
After weeks of Blind Auditions and never-ending Battle Rounds, we have reached the Live Shows!
Each artist had one chance to impress America tonight!
Whoever are the Bottom Three artists on tomorrow’s night’s results show will have to sing again for America’s Save!
Which artists pleased their coaches (Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Shakira and Usher)? Who might be singing for the save? Read on to find out….
Up first to face America was Team Usher’s resident female rocker Bria Kelly! She picked a huge song: “Rolling in the Deep.” I am so glad that she infused rock into Adele’s classic and my eyes never left her. It was an excellent way to start this show. A-
Team Adam’s first artist of the night was Delvin Choice. The Maroon 5 front man gave his resident soul man one of the toughest songs of all-time: The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody.” There is no denying that Delvin has a great voice…but he failed to hit the critical notes. This song might cost him the competition! (By the way, I bet Jake Barker is screaming at the TV: “I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE, ADAM!) C+
One artist that has redeemed herself to me was Dani Moz. The “Empire” singer chose P!nk & fun’s Nate Ruess’s “Just Give Me A Reason” for her finalist. Dani was the first finalist to activate the Swaybots and I loved her cover (plus that high “WE!!!”). If she continues to perform like this…we might be seeing Dani in the Top Six. B+
Audra McLaughlin was on cloud nine when she told her coach that Martina McBride saw her Tweet and sent her good wishes. She tackled Juice Newton’s “Angel of the Morning.” The country crooner did a great job picking this song for her to sing. It was powerful and I think Audra will be safe from elimination. A-
T.J. Wilkins had a lot to prove to me after last week! His cover of “Tell Me Something Good” was subpar and (in all honesty, he took Stevie Jo’s place in the Top 12). While I applaud T.J. for tackling a different beast: contemporary music (John Mayer’s “Waiting for the World to Change”), I thought that it was another subpar cover. If people want to hear an outstanding cover…watch David Archuleta’s cover! C
YouTube starlet Christina Grimmie is starting to blossom! Team Adam’s signature player tackled Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” to incredible results. I loved hearing her pull out the power punches. However, she needs to be very careful and not go all power-punch moment because Christina could KO their ears. B
Sisaundra Lewis tackled one of American Idol’s covered songs of all-time: Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Down to Me.” While I do have a special place for Clay Aiken, Bo Bice and Pia Toscano’s brilliant interpretations, Sisaundra took the Oleta Adams cover, multiplied the power level by 10,000 and delivered the best performance of the first half of the night! A+
Team Shakira’s resident country singer was next on the line-up! Kristen Merlin delivered a superb cover of Sugarland’s “Stay” that gave me (and I believe a lot of audience members) goose bumps. I hope Jennifer Nettles watched this performance because Kristen beautifully interpreted the song and was a pro when her mic went out! Good on you, Kristen! A
Team Adam’s resident rocker Kat Perkins tackled Heart’s “Magic Man.” It is a very tall order to tackle Ann Wilson’s signature vocals. I thought Kat did a good job with the song and it would be interesting to see what Kat does next. B+
Team Blake’s resident cowboy wants to keep country music alive! Following the path that George Strait and the late George Jones carved, Jake Worthington tackled Travis Tritt’s “Anymore.” This was a strong performance for Jake…however there were some pitch issues that could be fixed during next week’s rehearsals. B
Shakira’s final artist of the night, Tess Boyer, tackled Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There For You.” I really like seeing a contestant rock out The Voice stage and I am so looking forward to seeing Tess progress and mature throughout this competition. A-
Josh Kaufman closed the night! He was also the first artist to experience Usher’s unique coaching style (running around the room). While Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” is not a song, I am very familiar with…I thought that Josh showed vocal growth (outstanding runs) and amazing stage presence as he slayed this song! A+
Tomorrow night, two artists (no matter which team) will leave the show!
